Delivery of IPTV (IP television) media in IPTV systems requires the co-operation of a large and often complicated array of hardware, software, and network infrastructure to deliver media streams from a content provider to the CPE (customer premises equipment) of a subscriber. The delivery of IPTV services from head end to CPE may traverse one and often more than one service provider and may involve equipment from various venders.
The term “IPTV service” is to be understood as the delivery of digital television and related services, such as video and audio programming, VoD (video on demand) and their associated electronic programming guides, over an IP (internet protocol) network. Although the protocol used to format the packets in the IPTV system is the same as that used for communicating over the public Internet, the “IP” in IPTV only indicates use of IP as a network protocol. Delivery of IPTV services almost always occurs over one or more private IP networks.
Many factors determine the end structure of an IPTV system but typical systems will include four major elements: a video head end; a service provider core/edge IP network; a service provider access network; and a home network. The video head end is where digital media including video, audio or both, is encapsulated for delivery through the IPTV system. The service provider core/edge IP network provides the necessary geographical and bandwidth requirements to deliver the media to a service location which has subscribers. Typically this network service is provided by a video service provider which has sufficient resources and coverage. In some cases specialized small to medium IPTV service providers, referred to as tier two or tier three IPTV service providers, also participate in this space. These tier two or tier three IPTV service providers do not have the bandwidth and coverage to justify or support a generic broadband core network like that of the video service provider, but they have enough of a core network to enable them to specialize in the delivery of IPTV services to their subscribers. The service provider access network, often referred to as “the last mile”, is a broadband network connecting the premises of the customers to the broadband core network. This access network can be implemented over DSL, cable, or other broadband technology. This part of the IPTV system would typically be owned and operated by the tier two or tier three IPTV service provider. It should be noted however that some organizations possess a core broadband network and an access network, and provide IPTV services directly to subscribers. The home network includes equipment at the CPE such as a modem and/or set-top box which is the last stage in the delivery of digital media.
A primary part of an IPTV system is what is known as middleware. It resides between the head end and the media equipment at the CPE. This may include various functions on the redistribution and service boxes throughout the core and access networks, and the set-top box (STB) at the CPE. The STB is typically connected to media equipment such as a TV, HDTV, PVR, or audio system to play the video and/or audio content delivered over the IPTV system. In many cases enhanced interactive services such as electronic programming guides and video on demand (VoD) are provided to the subscriber at the CPE through the STB which communicates with middleware services boxes in the IPTV provider's network. Unlike older media delivery systems such as traditional over-the-air broadcasting, IPTV is a bidirectional system providing interactive services to subscribers. The interactive capabilities of the enhanced services such as the electronic programming guide and VoD are provided by the middleware solutions and are essential to a robust array of services expected by an IPTV subscriber. As such middleware is itself very important to the delivery of IPTV, and hence is very important to those organizations which participate in the delivery of IPTV.
Due to the large and complicated array of infrastructure required to deliver IPTV, it is often the case that more than one business entity must participate at the various stages of the delivery of IPTV to the subscriber. In some cases, one broadband service provider may be providing the network service necessary to support specialized IPTV service providers without being in the business of IPTV itself. These IPTV providers are responsible for providing the appropriate middleware to ensure the delivery of the specialized IPTV services to the subscriber. The middleware services boxes or redistribution middleware along with a compatible STB for use at the customer's premises will need to be implemented and supported by the IPTV provider. There are a number of various IPTV middleware vendors from which an IPTV provider can choose to implement the IPTV service to the home network. Some examples of middleware include Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, Alcatel-Lucent's MiView™ TV, and many others, and may also include solutions developed by organizations which are themselves involved in IPTV service delivery For various reasons, each particular type of middleware tends to have specific requirements for the transport encapsulation and tagging of the digital media it receives. Typically, each type of middleware requires certain fields or flags of the transport headers to be set in a certain manner.
FIG. 1 depicts an example known IPTV service delivery system. A content provider 10 provides the audio or video content to equipment of a video service provider network 20. In FIG. 1, the video service provider participates with four IPTV providers in the delivery of the IPTV services. Each IPTV provider provides, through its own network, services to a number of geographic locations which include customer premises equipment for each subscriber. In FIG. 1, a first IPTV provider's network 40 provides IPTV services to a first location (LOC1) 60 and a second location (LOC2) 61 each of which includes respective customer premises equipment 70 and 71. Each customer premises equipment would typically include a set top box (not shown) while the first IPTV provider's network 40 includes redistribution middleware 50 for interacting with the STBs to provide IPTV services throughout the first and second locations 60, 61. A second IPTV provider's network 42 provides IPTV services to a third location (LOC3) 62 which includes customer premises equipment 72. The second IPTV provider's network 42 includes redistribution middleware 52 for interacting with the STBs to provide IPTV services throughout the third location 62. A third IPTV provider's network 44 provides IPTV services to a fourth location (LOC4) 63 which includes customer premises equipment 73. The third IPTV provider's network 44 includes redistribution middleware 54 for interacting with the STBs to provide IPTV services throughout the fourth location 63. A fourth IPTV provider's network 46 provides IPTV services to a fifth location (LOC5) 64 and a sixth location (LOC6) 65 each of which includes respective customer premises equipment 74 and 75. The fourth IPTV provider's network 46 includes redistribution middleware 56 for interacting with the STBs to provide IPTV services throughout the fifth and sixth locations 64, 65.
Each IPTV provider's network 40, 42, 44, 46 has a respective transceiver 41, 43, 45, 47 for receiving video from the video service provider network 20. In a possible scenario, each IPTV provider may have a satellite downlink of video as well as some form of terrestrial backchannel 38a, 38b, 38c, to the video service provider. In FIG. 1, the first, second and third IPTV service provider's networks 40, 42, 44 receive video from the video service provider network 20 via satellite. The first IPTV provider's network 40 has a transceiver 41 which receives video from a first satellite 31 with a first broadband transceiver 27 of the video service provider network 20, while the transceivers 43, 45 of the second and third IPTV provider's networks 42, 44 receives video streams through a second satellite 34 with a second broadband transceiver 28 of the video service provider network 20. The fourth IPTV service provider's network 46 communicates terrestrially through its broadcast transceiver 47 with a terrestrial distribution transceiver 29 of the video service provider network 20.
Each IPTV provider's network has its own middleware solution which may or may not be the same as that of the other IPTV provider's networks. Additionally, since each middleware solution requires a specific transport encapsulation for the communications between the IPTV provider's network, and the video service provider network, the kind of encapsulation used in the delivery of IPTV services to each of the IPTV provider's network may or may not be the same.
In FIG. 1, the first IPTV provider's network utilizes middleware of a first type, the second and third IPTV provider's networks utilize middleware of a second type, while the fourth IPTV provider's network utilizes middleware of a third type. These three different types of middleware in general will require three different types of transport encapsulation. Since transport encapsulation of the IPTV media occurs at the head end, there must be three differently transport encapsulated media streams 21, 23, 25 delivered across the video service provider network to the IPTV provider's networks.
In FIG. 1, the three differently transport encapsulated media streams 21, 23, 25 originate from three different respective video head ends 22, 24, 26. A first type of transport encapsulation is used for media streams 21 emerging from a first head end 22. This media stream 21 traverses a connection 30 between the first broadband transceiver 27 and the first satellite and traverses a connection 32 between the first satellite 31 and the first IPTV provider's network's transceiver 41. A second type of transport encapsulation is used for media streams 23 emerging from a second head end 24. This media stream 23 traverses a connection 33 between the second broadband transceiver 28 and the second satellite 34 and traverses a connection 35 between the second satellite and the second IPTV provider's network's transceiver 43. The media stream 23 also traverses a connection 36 between the second satellite 34 and the third IPTV provider's network's transceiver 45. A third type of transport encapsulation is used for media streams 25 emerging from a third head end 26. This media stream 25 is transmitted from the terrestrial distribution transceiver 29 of the video service provider network 20 over a terrestrial connection 37 to the broadcast transceiver 47 of the fourth IPTV provider's network 46.
The first and second satellites 31, 34 could be owned and operated by the video service provider, or may be owned and operated by third parties, in which case, said third parties are used to outsource some of the communications of the video service provider network.
In cases where the video service provider operates a complete IPTV service from head end to CPE, the video service provider may own and operate a number of different IPTV networks servicing respective geographical location. For demographic, economic, and geographical reasons, the various IPTV networks of the IPTV system may utilize different middleware to customize service provided to the populations of each different location.
Having to supply a separate head end or at least a custom transport encapsulation for each type of middleware used in the various IPTV networks burdens the operations of the video service provider, creating logistic, economic problems as well as inflexibility in the provision of IPTV services to existing, upgrading, and future IPTV networks.